Latest Newsletter

If you have any points you would
like to make about this (or the club more generally), please send me an email
to chairman@nlrc.org or a text or call on 07475 080896.
I would love to hear from you.

NRA
matters

****Email or paper ballot papers for NRA General Council elections
have now been issued to relevant NRA members. General Council consists of about
70 people some of whom are elected by the NRA members. GC appoints the NRA
Chairman and Trustees and therefore sets the tone for how the NRA is managed. Two
NLRC members are standing for election this year: Silke Lohmann and Guy
Blakeney. I commend these candidates to you. Getting and keeping committed and
knowledgeable volunteers like Guy and Silke onto GC is key to ensuring that the
NRA is well run. Outside the North, David Crispin, the Surrey’s
chairman, is also standing and has historically been supportive of a fair deal
for Bisley clubs.***

The NRA AGM will be held electronically at 6pm on
30th May. Those eligible to take part should have received
information and there are details on the NRA website.

The NRA has started allowing some open range civilian
shooting once more at weekends only. Open range electronic targets are
available: 5 each at 100, 300, 900 and 1,000 yards and 10 at 600 yards. Each
target is bookable for one hour at a time for one named shooter only. See the
NRA website for details: https://nra.org.uk/2020/05/

If any member who is not also a member of the NRA wishes to
shoot, the club will seek to book a slot for them. Please contact me with
details of when and what you want, preferably with fallback options in case
your first choice is unavailable. You will need to pay the club in advance
either by an on-line transfer or by having the fee placed on your tab.

Virus issues: cubicle holders and grants

Annual cubicle holders pay a sum each year and in
return have the right to use a cubicle bed throughout the year. Cubicle holders
usually have this right for a period of three years following a ballot after
which the right is re-ballotted. The virus has prevented the club from
providing access to cubicles since the start of lockdown and it is not clear
when full access can resume. The committee has considered this and takes the
view that, depending on how long this remains the case, some form of
recognition is due. All annual cubicle holders who have paid their 2020 fees
will have their current three year rights extended by one additional year. The
committee is keeping the situation under review to see whether other action is
appropriate.

The government has made available grants under a scheme
called the Small
Business Grants Fund. The club applied for a grant and received a
payment of £10,000. The club has agreed with its Stewards that Martin will be
furloughed for a while and has received the first month’s grant.

Members’ survey (closure on 2016 actions, plans for 2020)

Thank
you to everyone who completed the members’ survey. Ashley Abrahams prepared the
survey and results analysis – we owe Ashley many thanks! The committee reviewed
the results on 23 May. Overall, they show the club in a good position with
notably positive views on the new Stewards. There is more to do in some areas,
particularly wi-fi and the bar area at the clubhouse. The full report is
available to any member who would like to read it (drop me an email). It is 12
pages long and shows the results in graphs with summaries of members’ comments.
The committee is determined to act on the issues raised and is putting together
an action plan. More to follow soon…

David Friend

I am sorry
to report to you that David Friend, a longstanding North member and TR/MR shot
of considerable note died on 17th May, a few days after his 86th
birthday. David won the Queens Prize in 1977 and was a member of many TR and MR
international teams. He won the North’s Match Rifle Cup in 1991, 1999 and 2013.
Members report: “he was not only a great character, but an inspiration and all
round lovely gent. I will miss the aroma of his pipe behind the firing point at
1200yds. David had an angled scope and, although he shot from the right
shoulder, when shooting he always set up the scope to the right hand side by
his box.”

Donations to club
finances

The
“Just Giving” crowd-funding initiative set up by our Stewards, Alison and
Martin, will be closing at the end of May. Thank you to everyone who has
contributed either via the on line platform or direct to the club. Through your
generosity, the appeal has raised about £8,800 so far which will allow the club
to make improvements which would in more normal times have been funded from our
operating surplus.

Clubhouse opening

From
30th May, the clubhouse will be slightly open each weekend when the
NRA has the ranges open. Clubhouse facilities and catering will be available but
not yet cubicle accommodation. However, if a member wishes to use a cubicle,
please contact the Stewards and every effort will be made to accommodate you
subject to social distancing and the need to clean cubicles before use.

If
you want the clubhouse loos, please come into the building using the Ladies
Lounge door (you will need your fob). Firstly, please look through the windows
to check that there is no one else inside. Please follow the signs and use the
one way system to get to the loos and back out of the clubhouse.

If
you want food during the day, please contact the Stewards by ‘phone, text or
email in advance. Bottled and canned drinks can be ordered at the same time as
the food and will be available in the same way. You will be given a time to
come and collect. The menu and prices are shown on the home page of the NLRC
website and on the Facebook page.

Orders
can be collected from a station set up on the verandah at the west end beyond
the old arch. If there is anyone else collecting ahead of you, please wait socially
distanced at the bottom of the old arch steps.

The
verandah seating is not available but the benches on the grass are available: please
apply the social distancing rules.

Reloading
Room

The Reloading Room is open at any time to those with their key fob
access enabled in the system. If you plan to use it on a weekday, please let
the Stewards know in advance. The lavatory and drying room in the same building
are also open at any time. The door code is 45123. I understand a few people
have had difficulties with this. The way to work the key pad is: turn the knob
anticlockwise, release it, press the door code, turn the knob clockwise and
push the door to open it.

There is a
limit of one person in the Reloading Room. Before going in, please look through
the glass part of the entrance door to check that no one else is in the
corridor or visible in any of the rooms. If, once you are in, it becomes clear
that someone is already using the Reloading Room, please leave and try later.

Gunroom access

The
Gunroom is available to members with fob access from
0700 to 1900 every day, including Mondays and Tuesdays. If you plan to use it on a weekday, please let the Stewards know in
advance.

Access and egress is through the outside door only and there is a
limit of five members in the Gunroom at any one time. A system is in place to
facilitate that. Please
apply the social distancing rules.

Stewards’ availability

The Stewards will normally be
available between Wednesday and Friday from 0900 to 1700 and Saturday and
Sunday 0800 to 2000. Their contact details are: steward@nlrc.org. The club ‘phone number remains 01483 473117.

The club ‘phone is in the Committee
Room but the Stewards have a wireless handset. In any case, there is an
answerphone capability. If you leave a message, please be sure you say enough
to identify yourself clearly. The Stewards aim to respond to emails and to
messages left on the answer machine within one normal working day.